Environmental and Anthropogenic Predictors Influence the Diversity of Nonflying Mammals in a Native Savanna Landscape of Northern South America

Abstract

The native savannas of eastern Colombia cover about six percent of the Neotropical savannas. Within these 17 million hectares, the current composition of nonflying mammals evidenced colonization from Andean, Guyanese, and Amazonian speciation centers and endemism processes. Scientific knowledge of the mammal species in native savanna ecosystems in Colombia remains limited. We assessed (a) the species alpha and beta diversity of mammal assemblages and trophic guilds, (b) the influence of environmental predictors on mammal species diversity, and (c) the conservation status of species at both international and national levels. Our sampling included 213 camera trap stations with a total of 25.560 camera trap days. We reported 31 species from 19 families and 10 orders. The mammals best represented by the average relative abundance index (RAI) were Tayassu pecari (RAI = 0.83, n = 2.936) and Cuniculus paca (RAI = 0.33, n = 1.491), and the omnivore group was the most diverse trophic guild. The best‐fitting generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) (GAIC = 1305.3) indicated that the diversity of the mammal species detected at camera trap stations was influenced by environmental predictors, including (a) distance to the burned area (burned = p > 3.6 × 10−9) and (b) distance to human infrastructure (built‐up = p > 5.05 × 10−7). Sixteen percent of the mammal species reported are classified as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while 22% are listed as threatened by Colombia. In addition, 58% fall into the categories of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). We discussed the high plains native savannas as a diversity hotspot for Neotropical mammals. However, this important mammal’s habitat is currently under threat due to human infrastructure and the increasing frequency and intensity of forest fires.